The annual International Tokyo Toy Show which concluded on Sunday showcased a wide range of high-tech toys in a bid to attract gadget lovers from across the globe.
The four-day expo showcased around 35,000 toys and drew more than 160,000 visitors from around the world.
Toy planes have long been a favourite childhood toy. Two years ago, Japanese toy manufacturer CCP displayed the world’s smallest remote-controlled toy helicopter at the show.
This year they made the mini helicopter smarter. Via embedded chips and infrared sensors, the toy helicopter can automatically spot the player’s location and follow them.
After a gap of more than a decade, Japanese electronics giant Sony launched a new toy at the show.
The new toy named ‘Toio’ is made up of two motorised cubes paired with ring-shaped remotes. The movement sensors in the hands of the users will allow them to control the direction of the cubes at the twist of their wrist.
The Head of Sony’s New Product Department, Tetsunori Nakayama, said children are encouraged to explore their own ways to play with it.
“We are just offering a game platform. Children can arm their robots with their handmade crafts, using all kinds of different sizes and shapes and also explore more interesting and creative ways to play with it. That will help them become more involved in the game,” said Nakayama.
Japan’s largest toy maker Takara Tomy also unveiled a new toy for pet lovers. The user could input the pet dog’s information into the mobile app and then put a device onto its collar.
When they walk the dog, the relevant information like the number of steps and the amount of exercise will be displayed on the user’s smart phone.
The Director of Planning Section at Takara Tomy’s New Product Department, Kou Osawa, said: “The number of pets in Japan has surpassed that of children under the age of 13.
“There is a huge space in the market for pet-related toys and thus, our understanding and exploration of toys has changed in that direction.”
Due to the low birth rate in Japan, the local toy market tends to be saturated these years. The toy manufacturers vied to shift their focus to high-tech toys so as to expand their customer group.
Reuters
